A bugged hotel room has led to police uncovering an organised crime operation in the island.

James (also known as Jamie) Mark Smith orchestrated cocaine importing and selling operations from a room at a Douglas hotel.

In one recorded conversation he was said to have boasted of selling 30 grams of cocaine in one weekend and making between £1,000 and £4,000 a day.

The 37-year-old appeared before magistrates, via video link from the prison, on Thursday, February 6, and entered guilty pleas to being involved in importing cocaine and supplying it, as well as supplying cannabis.

He has been committed to the Court of General Gaol Delivery for sentencing.

Prosecuting advocate Victoria Kinrade told magistrates that a covert police operation had been conducted between October and November last year.

This had involved a surveillance device being installed in the room in a Douglas hotel which was being occupied by Smith at the time.

Conversations were recorded between multiple people and the defendant, which were said to be evidence of him orchestrating an organised crime group in the island.

On October 22, a vehicle was stopped by police at Castle Mona Spar on Central Promenade in Douglas.

A search of it found 1,237 grams of cocaine.

Recorded audio from Smith’s hotel room showed that he was the intended recipient of the drugs.

Ms Kinrade said that, during recorded conversations, Smith claimed that he had been involved in importing drugs for 15 years, with contacts in Liverpool, and made profits of between £1,000 and £4,000 per day.

In one conversation, he said: ‘Basically, I’ve sold 30 grams of coke this weekend alone.’

Ms Kinrade said that the case was clearly not suitable for summary court sentencing and should be committed to the higher court.

Smith is already serving a five-year prison sentence, imposed last month, for importing cannabis and THC vapes, in relation to his role in a plot to smuggle 15.5 kilos of cannabis from Whitehaven to the island on a fishing boat.

On Thursday, he was represented in court by advocate Peter Taylor, who agreed that sentencing for the latest offences would have to take place at the higher court

Mr Taylor said that a basis of plea had been submitted which stated that the current offences took place between the dates of June 2023 and November 2023.

Magistrates declined summary court jurisdiction and committed Smith to the Court of General Gaol Delivery, where he will make his first appearance later this week on February 14.